Worcester Humane Society hires new director

OCEAN CITY – The Worcester County Humane Society has hired a new director to replace its longtime leader who departed the organization late last year.

In a March 5 letter to members, the Humane Society says it hired Linda Lugo to be its new director. Her first day will be March 17. The board held a special meeting Feb. 24 to meet her, and there she garnered unanimous support, the letter says.

“Since all board members agreed that she is the right person for the job, we encourage all the board members to welcome Linda, wish her well and support her in her mission,” hiring committee chairwoman Kelly Austin wrote in the letter. “We appreciate all of the efforts to suggest improvements and share information for the benefit of our shelter. With Linda’s help, I think we can make huge progress toward these and many other opportunities in the future.”

Lugo comes from the Humane Society of Wicomico County, where she formerly served as that group’s executive director.

In 2010, Lugo changed positions for the Wicomico group, going from executive director to director of development, a position focused on fundraising and increasing community awareness of the Humane Society and its programs.

Kenille Davies, the former executive director of the Worcester County Humane Society, announced at a Nov. 30 fundraising dinner that she would resign.

Davies said she was approached by one of the organization’s 12 board members in July 2013 and asked to resign. When she said no, she said she was handed an unsigned, seven-page letter calling for her resignation for varied reasons. The largest of them, Davies said, was a claim that she was not managing the organization’s finances properly. Davies held the job for 37 years.

Jim Hammerschmidt, the attorney representing Humane Society members who sought Davies’ resignation, said there were clear reasons, particularly financial ones, for her to go.

“The shelter needed to be rescued,” he said in November. “Of paramount importance is that the shelter be enabled to operate efficiently and in a fiscally sound manner as we move forward.”

The West Ocean City shelter is expected to introduce new fundraisers, including a golf tournament and a “Poochapalooza,” during the coming year, in addition to longtime annual events such as Boardwalkin’ for Pets.

Those fundraisers, along with concerted efforts to cut costs, are expected to help the shelter improve its financial footing. Internal Revenue Service records from 2011 to 2012 show the Humane Society in the red, with reported revenue of $245,798 and expenses of $347,313.